A recognized safety hazard in the trucking business has been the practice of drivers to use one of the vehicle's tires or other part of the vehicle as a step. Truck components, such as tires, are not designed for use as a step and such misuse of the components puts a person at high risk of injury. Vehicle steps of various types are known in the art. Such devices are typically used to provide a means for a person to lift themselves off of the ground and into a vehicle's seat. Some of these devices are used by a person when the person needs to elevate himself to a portion of the vehicle to access a particular part of the vehicle.
Previous vehicle step devices have some inherent disadvantages. One of the disadvantages with existing step devices is that they do not provide a design that can be easily adapted for a variety of different vehicle makes and models. Another disadvantage is that they are not simple in design and inexpensive to construct and are therefore not practical nor in widespread use. Further, many of the existing tire step devices are not aesthetic in appearance when in position on a vehicle.
The present invention overcomes these and other problems inherent in existing vehicle step devices. The present invention provides a tire step that, in one form, comprises a first mounting ring having spaced apart holes and connected to a second step ring by a series of spaced apart rods or bars. The mounting ring may mount to a vehicle's wheel by aligning the holes in the ring with the wheel's support studs and fastening the vehicle's lug nuts to the studs and against the ring so the ring is supported by the studs and fastened to the wheel by the studs. Once the tire step is mounted, a person may step on the second step ring to elevate herself off of the ground and into a position where she could more easily reach the vehicle's windshield or other part of the vehicle.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved tire step that easily mounts to a vehicle's wheel supporting studs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel tire step that provides a safe step for a vehicle.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel tire step that is attractive in appearance when in place on the vehicle.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel tire step that is easily adaptable to fit a variety of different vehicles.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel tire step that does not require modification of the existing vehicle rim, hub or lug nuts.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel tire step which does not adversely affect a vehicle when it is attached to the vehicle's wheels.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel tire step which is simple in design and inexpensive to construct, and is durable and rugged in structure.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings of the invention.